For the kink meme prompt: Bucky/Steve, the Winter Soldier is a double agent

When the Winter Soldier is sent to kill Howard Stark, Howard invents a device to temporarily turn off the mind control chip in his brain. The American government want an inside man in the Soviet Union, and the Winter Soldier never knew Bucky was still in there, watching and reporting all his secrets.

Bonus points if he's only doing it because Steve's dead and there's nothing else to live for.

References the 80's comic canon about Bucky being a photographer.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Prologue

Summary: James has spent his entire life protecting Steve. This is just one step farther.

1943

They called themselves the Howling Commandos now, Steve in the lead and James Barnes at his right hand. It was a bit jarring to see him without Steve, the night he found her in the mess, a night when she couldn't sleep and had bad coffee and a letter from home to keep her company.

He slid into the chair across from her, his own coffee in hand. "Can we talk?"

"About what?" There was a briefing in a few hours, but he wasn't usually impatient about missions.

"About Howard Stark."

The rumors about her and Howard never ended. "Howard and I are just friends."

"I know." He stared at her over the lip of his cup. "Right now, with the war, there's been a lot of opportunity for women with the right kind of aspirations. I hear Mr. Wrigley's even going to put together a women's pro baseball team. But you and I both know that it's not going to last."

She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but he wasn't. When the war was over, there wouldn't be a place for her, not as a uniformed officer. "What does that have to do with Howard?"

"I know he's not really…" James trailed off. "He likes machines more than people. But sooner or later, a man that rich is going to need a wife, a son. Money buys a lot of leeway. A rich man's wife could continue her work as an intelligence operative. Access to his social contacts would get her into a lot of places the government can't see right now, keep an eye out."

He's not wrong. She'd certainly thought about it. "And?"

"And, I'm asking you to reconsider." He glanced around to make sure they were alone then lowered his voice. "HYDRA did something to me. Did Steve tell you that?"

"No." It's not in the files either.

"I was a good shot before, but not like this. I can see better, hear better." He reaches across the table and takes her hand in his. "I know you heard us, but you didn't say anything, didn't tell anyone. We can trust you, and I need someone to trust because I can't protect him anymore. He used to just bleed into the shadows, but now he's walking around dressed in the American flag. We're not exactly inconspicuous anymore."

"No, you're not." She was suddenly very tired. "I'm not planning on telling anyone, James."

"I know." He squeezed her hand then let it go. "But I want you to think about something for me. Steve's a good guy, he would be a good husband, for a woman like you."

"Does Steve know you're planning his future?" With me, she doesn't say.

"No, but I don't tell him everything." James leaned forward, his voice conspiratorial. "He needs an Eleanor."

"And you'll just… share?" He's either crazy, or brilliant. She can't decide.

"The one good thing about being an orphan is you get used to sharing, to never getting exactly what you want." His voice dropped low again. "And wouldn't it be a shame, if Captain America's wife couldn't have children, if the government never had a chance to see what his genes could do."

"That would be for the best." She looked away from him, at her letter, her friend's neat handwriting describing the parade of slightly damaged men her parents were introducing her to. "I'll have to tell everyone I find his awkwardness endearing. Otherwise, no one will believe it."

"People believe what they read in the papers, and see in photos. And I'm a hell of a photographer." He stood and offered her his hand. "Come with me. I want to take your photo. I'm going to put it in his compass."

Notes: For my random ramblings, reblogs, and ficlets please find me on tumblr as roguewrld